Inside five fashion brands shaping their own worlds this weekend at Sole DXB 2025

As Sole DXB 2025 kicks off today at Dubai Design District and runs until the 14th, the festival has evolved far beyond sneakers, music, and street culture. The Kurator spoke exclusively with some of the brands at the forefront of this year’s fashion programme - amongst few × UMBRO, No Borders, Atlal from Galbi, Absent Findings, and AOTA - uncovering not just the garments they create, but the philosophies, memories, and cultural narratives that give them life. Sole DXB has become a stage where heritage, craft, and identity collide with global ambition, and over three days, these brands are leading that conversation.

No Borders stakes its claim not just through garments, but through a vision rooted in cultural storytelling, craft, and community. The Dubai-based platform, founded by Kanika Karvinkop, has spent the past seven years amplifying voices and traditions often overlooked, and the festival offers the perfect stage to connect, collaborate, and inspire.

Karvinkop reflects on the festival’s unique energy: “Being at Sole DXB, surrounded by regional stories, sounds, and communities, deepens that inspiration in a profound way. Sole DXB fosters an environment where artists and creatives can meet, exchange ideas, and build together. That aligns perfectly with why we started No Borders: to bring people and cultures together, to amplify multiple perspectives.”

Her approach has always centered on elevating craft and heritage, celebrating artisans and creators whose work often goes unseen.

“No Borders started as a platform to tell stories of communities and artists who often go unacknowledged. Being here in person, connecting with them face-to-face, and experiencing their creativity firsthand is a different level of inspiration.”

Sole DXB also reflects a wider cultural shift - a region moving from overlooked to influential: “The MENA region isn’t just part of the conversation, it’s actively leading it.  Seeing this region’s talent and confidence is deeply inspiring. It reinforces why we started No Borders and why supporting and amplifying local cultures and stories is more important than ever.”

For Karvinkop, the festival reinforces the importance of authenticity and process. “It’s about celebrating process and heritage, and showing the world that meaningful work goes beyond the surface level.”

Through their presence at Sole DXB, No Borders aims to spark conversations about representation, cultural exchange, and creativity rooted in authenticity:

“Being among artists and brands who are proud of their heritage and unafraid to speak about it is incredibly energizing. We hope our presence sparks conversations about the power of cultural exchange, the importance of representation, and the value of creativity rooted in authenticity.”

Algerian-inspired Atlal from Galbi positions fashion as a living archive of memory and culture.

“Sole DXB reflects a cultural movement that goes beyond the Gulf, it also includes North Africa. Being here highlights the strength of the Arab world when it’s represented as a whole, connected, plural, and unapologetic in its cultural voice.”

Founder Lilia Yasmin speaks to the immersive nature of her brand: “Every brand carries its own universe. For me, Sole DXB is a space where that universe can be fully felt, not just described. The booth becomes an extension of that universe, a place where memory, culture, and emotion are shared in a very direct way.”

“I want the brand to spark conversations around familiarity, that feeling of recognition when you see something and think, this feels like home. Whether it’s through memories, interiors, music, or everyday rituals, these shared references create an immediate bond.”

She situates the region’s creative voice in historical and cultural lineage:

“When you look at Arab divas such as Oum Khaltoum, Warda, or old cinema, literature, or arts, Arab artists have always influenced the world. That’s when it became clear the MENA creative voice wasn’t waiting to be discovered anymore. It was already shaping the conversation.”

For Absent Findings, Sole DXB is homecoming and validation, a space where heritage meets craft.

“Dubai is the place I call home. Being at SOLE feels like a homecoming, a moment where my past and present meet in a space that celebrates creativity in its most authentic form.”

Shivin Singh reveals the layers of inspiration shaping his collections:

“My roots are deeply tied to my heritage, with a Bengali mother and a Punjabi father… My work is always heavily researched. This collection draws from the surrealist worlds of Yves Tanguy and the metaphysical paintings of Giorgio de Chirico. I revisited Chandigarh, where Le Corbusier’s Palace of Assembly left a strong impression on me. Even the music I listen to becomes part of the process.”

Sole DXB reconnects him to the culture that shaped him. “Showing here, surrounded by the region’s stories, sounds, and communities, feels like reconnecting with the source. Dubai is where my eye was formed. My inspiration ultimately comes from honesty and emotion - from anything that moves me - and SOLE amplifies that feeling.”

On authorship and regional influence: “Bringing the brand here is not an expansion; it is a return to where the work truly belongs. I hope it sparks a conversation about authorship, about the importance of regional voices telling their own stories through their own lenses.”

In the world of regional fashion, AOTA has emerged as a powerful force turning garments into statements of identity and intention. At Sole DXB, the Kuwait-born brand, led by Tareq Qaddumi, finds a stage where the Middle East shapes culture on its own terms, and where the resilience and authenticity of its creative philosophy are fully on display.

“Sole is a platform that helps show that the Middle East today isn’t seeking permission to contribute to global culture; it’s shaping its own movement. That spirit resonates with AOTA. We come from that same soil.”

The festival brings together the region’s voices, stories, and energies, sharpening AOTA’s focus on purposeful creation:

“Sole DXB is one of the few places where the stories, accents, and energies of our region gather in one space. That resilience deepens AOTA’s message: create with purpose, stay grounded, and let the work speak long after the noise fades.”

AOTA’s moment of global resonance came without compromise, proving that authenticity travels. “The moment Kyrie Irving walked the tunnel wearing an AOTA jacket. proved that a story born in Kuwait, rooted in identity, resistance, and intention, could resonate on a global stage without compromise. The world is orbiting that authenticity and we’re at the forefront.”

 Looking forward, Qaddumi envisions a region led by creators who build from intention, not imitation: “The future of this region belongs to the creators who build from intention, not imitation. AOTA’s role in that future is simple: to stay rooted in truth. To build community through culture, not clout. To create work that doesn’t chase flowers, but grows its own garden, patiently, purposefully, and with conviction.”

The UMBRO × amongst few collaboration is a meeting of British sportswear legacy and Dubai-born streetwear innovation. UMBRO, known globally for its football heritage and iconic kits, joins forces with amongst few, celebrated for fusing athletic design with Middle Eastern storytelling, to create a collection that honors both craft and culture. The collaboration focuses on performance-inspired silhouettes, bold graphics, and limited-edition drops, making it a festival highlight for fashion enthusiasts and sneakerheads alike.

For Hadi Saadi, founder of amongst few, Sole DXB is a mirror to the region’s creative evolution. From their first participation in 2014, when the local scene was still finding its voice, to now, the Middle East has developed a confident, self-assured creative identity:

“For us, Sole DXB is the clearest reflection of what’s really happening in the region. Today, it’s unmistakable: the Middle East has its own creative language.”

Sole DXB also represents a return to roots, a space where community and cultural energy reconnect them to the purpose behind their work:

“Sole is a reminder of why we started - amongst few was born here, and being surrounded by the region’s energy always brings us back. It pushes us to stay true to where we’re from and to the people who support us. That’s the real inspiration behind the work.”

The festival highlights a larger shift in global perception of MENA fashion:

“It wasn’t one big moment. Brands, media, artists weren’t coming to ‘introduce’ anything anymore. They were coming to learn. That’s when it clicked that the region wasn’t waiting to be discovered anymore.”

The UMBRO × amongst few partnership is a statement. By blending heritage athleticwear with regionally rooted storytelling, it embodies the spirit of Sole DXB: innovation, identity, and cultural pride converging on a global stage.